Screwing Up Has Consequences
by HelenaRewrite
Summary: Thirteen year old Dean Winchester lets nine year old Sam play outside unsupervised. John isn't pleased. Light child abuse and some threatening.


"Dean Winchester, get your ass down here right now!" John Winchester called from the bottom of the stairs.

The family of three had been renting a small house while they were staying in the scarcely populated Alabama town ever since the motel had kicked them out. For the past three weeks John had been attempting to follow the trail of a demon that had been killing specifically children. Unfortunately, he lost track of the slippery creature a little over a week ago and was forced to return home unsuccessful. The entire time he had been back with Sam and Dean, John did nothing but yell, drink, and try to find where he had went wrong on the hunt.

John's nerves were on edge worse than usual that day and it only became worse after he had failed again to pick back up on the demon.

He heard Dean open the door to his room and watched the thirteen year old bound down the stairs quickly when he saw his father waiting impatiently for him.

"Where's your brother?" John asked as Dean reached the final step of the staircase.

"He's outside playing," Dean informed his father.

"What?" John asked, hoping he had heard Dean wrong. He refused to believe that his eldest son could be that stupid.

"Did you say he's outside playing, alone?

"Yes sir," Dean said, swallowing hard when he realized his mistake and saw the anger in his dad's eyes.

"You left Sam outside alone? Do you know how dangerous that is! he bellowed at his son before he ran to the backdoor of their cramped temporary home. He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted the nine year old kicking around a soccer ball in the cool April breeze.

When he caught Sam's eye, he smiled and waved his son back inside.

"Daddy, did you see me?" Sam asked, shutting the door behind him. "I'm getting better!"

John laughed, never conveying a hint of the anger that boiled inside of him.

"You were doing great Sammy, now go upstairs and get cleaned up.

Sam did as he was told and raced up the stairs to the one small bathroom they all shared, saying a quick hello to Dean, who was still standing on the bottom step since he had not been instructed to move. As John retured to Dean, so did his misplaced rage for the boy.

"Dean, you know what's out there, how could you let your brother out without any protection? We can't afford to be that stupid! You could have put him in any number of dangerous situations! You do remember that there's a demon out there taking kids, or did you forget about that too?"

"I was just trying to let Sam have some fun Dad, he's nine, most nine year old's aren't concerned with what could be lurking in the bushes," Dean said, meeting his father's eyes.

"Would you rather let your brother have fun or be dead?" John yelled down at Dean.

"Use your fucking head!"

"I was using my head! I thought that maybe Sam needed to have some time to actually be a little kid and take a break from your training!" Dean shouted back with just as much force.

It barely registered with the oldest Winchester brother that his father had smacked him until he saw him with his arm raised above his head, poised to strike again. The stinging in his cheek told him he wasn't imagining the scene that was quickly unfolding either.

"Don't you talk back to me boy, you hear?" was all John said through clenched teeth as he began to lower his arm back to his side.

"Yes sir," Dean managed to choke out, shaking slightly, still unsure if his dad would hit him again.

"Don't you ever let Sam out of your sight again, do you understand me? You have one job, and that is keep your brother safe at all costs. If you ever put him in danger like that again, you won't sit down for a week."

Dean opened his mouth to form some sort of apology to John, but he didn't get anything out before he was shoved against the wall while his father walked past him, fully prepared to lock himself in his room for the next day or so with a bottle of scotch and his work.


End file.
